When we moved into our new house last winter, I told my two teens that I would not pick up their dirty dishes.  They are responsible for bringing them upstairs to the sink.

If they don't do it, they quickly run out of clean dishes.

They learned pretty fast!  Now I don't even have to remind them; they just do it.  

 

I've always washed in cold water except for underwear/socks, etc. which get washed in warm water.  Use the least amount of detergent called for and use vinegar in the rinse water instead of fabric softener. 

I've been hanging clothes out since May since I don't have a clothes line I made one using the poles on my back porch.  I tied a line about 3 feet from the ground and another one 6 feet from the ground and use the porch rail to hang the kids shirts/shorts on plastic hangers to dry.  I have been putting the almost dry towels in the dryer for 10 min to finish drying which also softens them up so DH doesn't complain.

This past week I've been taking the kids clothes to a new consignment shop in town so hopefully they will sell which gives me some extra money and less things held over in the garage for a sale next year.

We run our dishwasher about 5 times a week, full loads only and I only fill the one cup (not the two that they suggest) with powdered dish detergant that I've boughten on sale with coupons. 

I've always used coupons and matched them to sale items to stock up at the best price I can get.  A lot of stores now are having loadable e-coupons on their websites to load to your store discount card or have printable store coupons which both can be used with manufacture coupons and sales for extra savings.

I shop for bread at the discount bread outlet getting 3 loafs of name brand for the price of one at the grocery.  I freeze the bread over wrapped in a plastic bag for extra protection.  The store I shop at when you spend $13 you get a free item with their card you have punched.

90% of the time I make our pizza with a homemade crust that doesn't use yeast so we can be eating in about 30 min from start to finish.  I do keep "fun food" on hand for evenings that I don't feel like cooking, just pop them into the oven to heat & eat or just for something different.

I've been trying to make a big pot of soup each week and freezing half to eat later.  I make a different type of soup each week so at the end of the month I'll have 4 different soups to eat from the next month. 

Roberta

One of the new habits I started was to, use major appliances after 9pm or before 10am these are off peak hours and I can already see the difference on my power bill. I've been washing in cold water only for years, I started air drying me comforter and sheets, started washing small loads so they would dry faster.

Due to the extreme heat in the summer here and the ac chugging along, I have to cut that power bill. I never use the oven in the summer, I use my crockpot or the outside grill instead/

I have been able to keep my Gas bill down by turning the water heater to vacation when I will not be using it for about 24 hours.  I especially turn it down when I leave for a few days.  I also try to remember to turn the water lines to my clothes washer off when I will be gone for a few days.  I don't want to come back to a flooded area.

I try not  to have my ac higher than 79 degrees until later in the evening when I cool the bedroom, so that we can sleep comfortably.  I have saved this August about $45  -  it was over $130 last year and only $83 this year. 

I have a suggestion to help keep cooler.  My husband drives truck so last year I bought a neck cooler for him, then made more for us.  It is just a large bandana cut on the bias, leaving a 2 1/2 inch wide section in the middle, from corner to corner. Sew into a tube, turn inside out, close one end, put in 1tsp ONLY of superabsorbent polymers (brand name Aquasoil purchased at a plant nursery), sew second end closed.  Spread out the beads along the narrow strip. Put in cold water, when it gets swells you can use it.  It does drip until it starts to dry out but I don't mind. 

Todd Wilbur has a Pizza Hut clone recipe that is fabulous!  You should try it.  You won't want to go out for pizza anymore, but will want to make it yourself.  It is so much cheaper to make it and isn't that hard to make.  My 13 year old makes it by herself.

Once a year pull out all your ultility, phone, etc. bills and call the companies to see if there is a cheaper plan that would work for your family or if there are any discounts that your family might qualify for.   On credit card bills if there is an annual fee ask that it be waived, ask to have your interest rate lowered then keep paying the same amount as before to get it paid off sooner.  

Ask at work if your company is partnered with other companies that you would receive a discount at.  I recieve a 15% discount on my cell phone because my company is partnered with my cell phone company so all I had to do was link with them.

Roberta

Instead of using hot water, try adding two capfuls (tablespoons) of either bleach or Lysol to the wash water (depending upon colorfastness).

doing one thing different would never take life seriousely I was born to laugh things off and yup die laughing also ....

Pam - 

 I completely agree that "small bites" are the only way to "painlessly" incorporate frugal practices.  Time constraints alone have reduced my "do one thing differently" to about once a month instead of every week...but at least I am moving forward. My first goal was to tackle my laundry procedures:

 

1. All laundry is now done in cold water (with half the detergent), except for underware and sheets which are done in warm (maybe soon to be changed to hot!). 
   
2. Since my DS and DH will not allow me to line dry their clothing, i have begun at least hanging all of MY clothing to dry.
3. I have begun washing two sets of towels every other week instead of one set of towels a week.  It saves me a load of laundry every week!  
4. Since i work at home in a "sit down" job, i very rarely "dirty" my clothing.  I have started wearing all of my clothing twice (unless it IS visibly dirty or smelly).  At the end of the day i place my "worn" clothing in a certain spot in my closet (hanging inside out can also delineate it).  I do this every day.  On Sunday night i have a full week's worth of clothing that has been worn once.  On Monday i begin rewearing those items.  Then each evening the clothing is placed in the hamper.  The following week i begin with a "new" set of clothing for some variety.  It has saved wear and tear on my clothing and has dramatically decreased my laundry!

Now that the laundry is nicely in hand, i am concentrating on MY daily food:

1. This week i began my "soup for lunch" quest.  I made a big crock pot of "freezer soup" on Monday.  Each morning I have pulled the crock out of the fridge and placed it back onto my crockpot base.  By lunch the soup is steamy hot and the soup is "melding" more each day...getting better and better!  I think next Monday will be split pea soup (i was originally thinking stuffed pepper soup, but i lack a few ingredients).  
   
2. I have also begun reusing my coffee filters and grounds.  I have a one cup coffee maker and every other day i add one scoop (half the original amount) to the grounds and filter that are there.  The next day i use a fresh filter and fresh grounds.  However, i haven't fully incorporated this habit yet as i frequently forget to "reuse"!  Hopefully in another week or so it will become habit.

My next goal will be meal planning for DS's breakfasts/lunches and DH's dinners (Due to our crazy schedules DS needs "from home" meals for breakfast and lunch at school and DH needs to pack a "from home" dinner each day).  Right now they are both buying one or two meals a day away from home.  BAD ME... the money they are wasting!  Meal planning and shopping will be done this Sunday!!!!

Lin

The thing I've incorporated the last two weeks has been to take time (only needs a few minutes) twice a week to pull items from the back of the fridge, freezer and pantry to the front so they get used, or that I do not buy more of something that I already have. Sounds simple but we were letting produce go bad regularly. This summer our neighbor was dropping off zucchini, beets, radishes, etc. and I did not want to waste a bite of it, so I made sure I was aware of every vegetable, every few days. I've also used up some frostbitten foods from the freezer - had ravioli last night that was frosty but still tasted good. Thanks for all the great ideas. My brain seems to be rewiring itself so that I am thinking no-spending, re-using, and cost-cutting ALL THE TIME.